Reversible starter eor internal-combustion engines



W. R. KAHLENBERG.

REVERSIBLE STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. 1919.

1 ,3 1 2,402 Patented Aug. 5, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESS I v lNVENTOR yg ll ATTORNEY 'IHB COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0,, WASHINGTON, D. C-

w. R. KAHLENBERG.

REVERSIBLE STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2h I919.

1,312,402. I Patented Aug. 5,1919.

A 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

0 I 1. I ,Q I IIIIIII' I, I l|||||||| /7 INVENTOR 2/? r ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT onnicn WILLIAM R. KAHLENBERG, OF ITW'O RIVERS, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO KAHLENBERG BROTHERS COMPANY, OF TWO RIVERS, WISCONSIN.

REVERSIBLE STARTER INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

f Patented Aug. 5, 1919.

Application filed March 21, 1919. Serial No. 284,038.,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. KAHLEN- cure, a citizen of the United States, a and V resident of Two Rivers, in the county of Manitowoc and State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversible Starters for Internal- Combustion Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in starting devices for internal combustion engines, and more particularly of that type including valve member which is connected with the engine for op eration thereby and which controls'ducts for the admission of compressed air into successive cylinders.

It is in general the object of my invention to simplify and rendermore compact the construction of devices of this character, as well as to increase the efiiciency thereof by procuring a ready and accurate operation and by lessening the liability of leakage in the controlling valve mechanism.

A more particular object with respect to the provision of a reversible starting mechanism resides in the provision of a single housing body for the valve controllingthe reversing operation and for the valve controlling the direction of starting fluid into successive cylinders.

A still further object resides in the provision of a mounting for the valve which controls the direction of fluid to the cylinders, whereby upon rotation of said valve a minimum amount of friction isprocured incidental to pressure of the starting fluid.

With the above and other objects in view, which will be apparent as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described and defined by the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment might be made by those Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the mechanism on a plane indicated by the line 3-3of Fig. 1.

Fig. tis a sectional view on a lower plane indicated by the lined-n of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view on a still lower plane indicated by'the line 55 of Fig. 1. 1

Referring now more particularly to the drawings:

The present embodiment of my invention is shown associated with and driven directly from'the governor and fuel control shaft A of an internal combustion engine, the present invention being particularly adaptable for use in connection with engines of the semi Deisel or like types adapted for marine use and wherein the reverse drive is procured by reversing the operation of the engine, although my invention may find use in connection with other types of internal combustion engines. The governor head B is shown in conventional outline on the shaft A. The starting mechanism is supported in axial alinement with the control shaft A by a bracket arm 10 which is secured to any suitable rigid support preferably to a portion of the engine structure and which terminates in a split clamp collar 11, the edges of which are drawn by a' bolt 12 to mount therein a lower cup-shaped valve casing section 13. An upper cup shaped casing section 14 isdisposed on and closes the mouth of said section 13, the sections being secured together by bolts 15 passed longitudinally through their thick wall portions, the mouth of the upper casing section 14 being closed by the top plate 16 which is secured thereto by screws 17, thus affording a pair of superposed valve chambers c and 0? respectively.

Compressed air, which comprises the starting fluid, is introduced into the upper valve chamber 0 through a port 18 in the upper casing section which communicates witha supply pipe 19 extending to any suitable source. The bottom of the upper cup shaped casing section forms a valve seat and is provided with a port 20 which extends directly through said bottom forcommunication with the valve chamber (Z, and is provided with a second port 21 extended horizontally in the bottom of the casing section for communication with a passage 22 extended through the .wall of the lower casing longitudinally section and communicating in turn with and bottom respectively of the valve cham-v ber (Z, and for controlling passage of air through these ducts, a valve plate 24: is dis posed 011 the bottom of the upper casing section, being provided with a port 25 adapted upon rotation of the valve member to register with either of the ports 20 and 21. Movement of this valve member is procured by a stem 26 extending through the top plate 16 and through the packing flange 27 carried thereon, a crank handle 27 being carried on the upper end of this stem. The crank handle engages a guide flange 28 carried on the top plate 16 and is limited in its oscillatory movement by stops 29 on said flange whereby to determine the registering positions of the port 25 of the valve member. The loose connection of the valve 24E and the stem 26, procured by a pivot pin 30, permits an accurate seating of the valve member, and it is noted that the valve member is held in seated position by air pressure thereon.

A cylindrical rotative valve member 31 is disposed in the valve chamber (Z of the lower casing section, said valve member being provided with a transverse partition 32 which is keyed or otherwise fixed on shaft 33 journaled in the bottom of the lower casing section and in the pocket 34 carried thereby and coupledat 35 with the engine control shaft A. This rotating valve member is provided with a pair of ports 36 and 37 in one side of its periphery which communicate respectively with the upper and power portions of the interior of the valve member, said ports being widened as shown particularly in Fig. 5 on the periphery of the valve member whereby to cover a wide circumferential expanse of the valve member and whereby to ext-end dianetrically of this periphery. These valve members are adapted to register with duct passage ways 38 extending vertically in quadrentially spaced portions of the wall of the lower casing section 13 and registering with similar duct passage ways 39 in the wall of the upper casing section 1 1 which communicate with pipes 40 extending to the respective cylinders of the engine the present arrangement being intended for four cylinder engines and hence showing four sets of passage ways although it will be appreciated that my device may be adapts ed for engines having any number of cylinders.

To relieve friction when air is introduced into the lower portion of the chamber (Z and thus exerts an upward pressure on the cylindrical valve member 31, a stud 41 is threaded with diametrically opposed ports of the r0 tating valve member 31, are connected with a pair of cylinders which have their pistons connected with diametrically opposed cranks of the main engine shaft, and it is further noted that the engine comes to rest with its main shaft in such position with re spect to its driving connections with the rotating valve member 31 thatthe ports 37 of the valve members 31 are in registry'with diametrically opposed cylinder duct passageways 38 as shown particularly in Fig. 5.

Thus, introduction of air into the top of the valve chamber D will procure movement of a piston having its crank connection at one side of the axis of the engine crank shaft, while introduction of air into the lower portion of the chamber D will procure movement of a piston having its crank connection at the opposite side of the shaft axis. Rotation of the valve member 24 controls the introduction of air into the other portion of the chamber D and thus an exceedingly'simple means is provided for instituting operation of the engine in either direction, the succeeding cylinders of the engine receiving air from the valve chamber in proper rotation, whichever direction is chosen. It is noted that both the distributing valve 31 and the control valve 24 are located within a single housing structure, thus procuring an exceedingly compact, simple and readily assembled structure and reducing to a minimum the possibility of leakage. V

lVhile I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be appreciated that various changes and modificationsof structure may be employed to meet different conditions of use and manufacture without departing in any manner from the spirit of my invention.

What is claimed is: r

1. A starting device for internal combustion engines comprising a casing, a series of circumferentially spaced ports in the casing adapted for connection with respective engine cylinders, a cylindrical driven the casing open at the end portions of the driven valve member and means for selectively controlling passage of air through either of said last named ports.

2. A starting device for internal combustion engines comprising a lower cup shaped casing member, a second cup shaped casing member connected with and closing the mouth of the first casing member, a closure for the mouth of the second casing member, a driven rotatable valve member in the first named .casing member, circumferentially spaced ports in the wall of the first casing member adapted for communication with respective engine cylinders, and ports in the driven valve member adapted to successively register with the circumferential ports, said valve member ports communicating respectively with the mouth and base portions of the first named casing member, ports extending through the base of the second named casing member and communicating respectively with the mouth and base portions of the first named casing member, a main inlet port in the second named casing member, a valve member rotatably seated against the base of the second named casing member and provided with an aperture adapted to register with either of the selective supply ports and means for rotating said last named valve member.

3. The combination with an internal combustion engine structure including a shaft, of a bracket bar carried by said structure, a clamp collar on the bracket arm having its axis in line with the axis of the shaft, a cylindrical casingmounted in the clamp collar, a series of circumferentially spaced ports in the casing adapted for connection with respective engine cylinders, a cylindrical rotatable valve member in the easing, a drive connection between said valve member and the said shaft, a port in the valve member adapted for successive registry with the casing ports and means for supplying pressure fluid to the valve member port.

4. A starting device for internal combustion engines comprising a pair of connected chambers, a series of circumferentially spaced ports in the wall of one chamber adapted for connection with respective engine cylinders, a cylindrical driven rotatable valve member in the specified chamber, a pair of ports in the driven valve member extending from the periphery thereof and connnnnicating with the end portions of the chamber, ports extending from the end portions of the second chamber to the adjacent end portion of the other chamber, a selection valve member movable in said other chamber and seating against said adjacent end thereof and provided with a passage adapted to register with either of the last named ports, a fluid supply port in the last specified chamber and means for moving the selection valve.

5, A starting device for internal combustion engines comprising a pair of chambers, a port extending from one end of the first chamber to the second chamber, a series of circumferentially spaced ports in the wall of the second chamber adapted for connection with respective engine cylinders, a cylindrical driven rotatable valve member in the second chamber, a port in the second chamber adapted for communication with the first named port and successively with said circumferentially spaced ports, a valve member movable in the first chamber and seating against the ported end of the first chamber, for controlling flow-of fluid through the first named port, and a fluid supply port in the first chamber.

6. A starting device for internal combustion engines comprising a valve chamber, a series of circumferentially spaced ports in the wall of the chamber adapted for connection with respective engine cylinders, a cylindrical driven rotatable valve member in the casing, a transverse partition in the valve member, a pair of ports in the valve member extending from spaced portions of its periphery and disposed in a common plane at right angles to the axis of the valve, said ports communicating with the valve at opposite sides of the partition, a drive stem extending axially from the valve through one end of the chamber and adapted for connection with an engine drive shaft, a bearing disposed between the valve and the specified end of the chamber, and an adjustable bearing member carried by the other end of the chamber and engageable with the valve member.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I havehereunto set my hand at Two Rivers, in the county of Manitowoc and State of Wisconsin.

WM. R. KAHLENBERG.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

